ar
the music of fiddles, and they came with an odd echo, just as though
some merry tune of long ago chided me for being there all alone. When
they ceased I must have dropped asleep, for the next thing I knew was
that some one was busy about the car and that my head-lamps had both
gone out. Be sure I jumped up like a shot at this, and "Hallo," cried
I, "what the devil do you think you are doing?" Then I saw my mistake.
The new-comer was a girl, one of the maids of the house, it appeared,
and she was stowing luggage into the car.

"Oh," says I, "then Miss Davenport is coming, is she?"

The girl went on with her work, hardly looking at me. When she did
speak I thought her voice sounded very odd; and instead of answering me
she asked a question:

"Do you know the road to Colchester?"

"To Colchester?"

"You take the first to the left when we leave here--then go right ahead
until I tell you to stop. Understand, whatever happens you are to get
ahead as fast as you can. The rest is with----"

He came to an abrupt halt, and no wonder. If you had given me ten
thousand pounds to have kept my tongue still, I would have lost the
money that instant. For who do you think the maid was? Why, no other
than the starchy valet, Joseph, I had seen at Mr. Colmacher's flat.

"Up you get, my boy," he cried, throwing all disguise to the winds,
"Don't you hear that noise? They have discovered Miss Davenport is
going and the job's off. We'll tell Benny in the morning--the thing to
do to-night is to show them our heels and sharp about it."

He bade me listen, and I heard the ringing of an alarm bell, the
barking of hounds, and then the sound of many voices. Some suspicion,
ay, more than that, a pretty shrewd guess at the truth was possible
then, and I would have laid any man ten pounds to nothing that "love"
was not much in this business, whatever the real nature of it might be.
For that matter, the fellow had hardly got the words out of his mouth
when the glitter of something bright he had dropped on the ground,
caused me to stoop and to pick up a gold watch bracelet set in
diamonds. The same instant I heard a man running on the road behind
me, and who should come up but the very "ne'er-do-well" who helped me
to wash down my car but yesterday morning.

"Hold that man!" he cried, throwing himself at the valet. "He's
Marchant, the Yankee hotel robber--hold him in the King's name--I'm a
police officer, and I have a warrant."